"I guess with telepathy, you had to grow up pretty fast," Reo said. "I can't imagine what that was like."
Maeyune shrugged, her expression sobering. "Shivra was there to guide me through much of it."
Reo nodded in understanding. She watched as he grabbed another flake of wood off the ground and tossed it into the fire. He let it burn for a quiet moment.
"When I was little, I always wanted to eat ice cream every day," he said, "but I wasn't allowed more than one scoop a month at dinner. Though, the cafeteria ladies usually snuck in a spoonful of it here and there."
Her eyebrows rose. "Ice cream?"
"Of course," he said, staring at her in disbelief. "It's the best thing in the world."
She chuckled. "Fair enough."
"What about you?" he inquired, eyeing her with curiosity. "What's your favorite thing to eat?"
"Aside from wild turkey?" She gestured with a nod at their breakfast grilling above the fire.
He grinned. "Second favorite, then?"
"Chocolate," she said with a faint smile. "I like chocolate."
"Chocolate," he echoed, taken aback. "I didn't think the moon warrior had a sweet tooth."
She leveled a flat stare at him, but that only widened his smile.
"So what, chocolate pudding? Chocolate cake? Or just chocolate in general?"
"Anything, really."
Memories swam their way back to her, and her lips drew a distant smile. "Each year on my birthday," she said, "my aunt would spend an entire morning in the temple's kitchen baking the most delicious buns filled with chocolate cream. We call them yeonsui in Suolani. I believe they're referred to as donuts here."
She noticed the slight twitch of interest in his expression, but she continued, "My aunt has never missed any of my birthdays."
Another thought passed in that instant, and her happy memories turned to gray. "Well, I suppose it's unforgettable," she said feebly, "as it's also the day of my mother's passing."
"Same here," he said. Noting the sorrow in her voice, he added, "But I'm sure your aunt doesn't think of your birthday like that."
Surprised, she looked at him, at the empathy in his dark eyes. Recalling his file, she knew he was born a day before her. His mother had also died in childbirth. But rather than find misery in the situation, he had taken the optimistic approach. Maeyune hadn't expected the kindness in his words, but she smiled at him.
"Is she the only family you have left?" he asked. "What about your father? Your file didn't mention anything about him."
"I know very little of my father," she replied. "He was a man from a coastal city who moved to Ursa to fight in the king's personal guard. From my aunt's brief acquaintance with him, she was not very fond of him. He was the reason my mother withdrew from her position as High Priestess. When he discovered my mother was with child--with me--they were to be wed. But when the Wobeck appeared twenty years ago, he did not survive the first day."
"I'm sorry to hear," Reo said, his voice sincere.
Lost in memories, Maeyune only shook her head and watched the campfire as it danced. Entranced by its movements, she concentrated on building visions in those flames, visions that she had seen of her father through Aunt Lyn's perspective.
The introduction between her father and her aunt had lasted no more than a minute. Protective of her younger sister, Lyn had regarded the mysterious man with wary eyes.
His name had been Ruyin. He had been a tall, well-built man with shoulder-length hair the color of dark chestnuts. His skin had turned a light bronze from his days under the sun. He'd favored an easy, charming smile that had never managed to fool Aunt Lyn. But regardless of his unknown history and his boyish wit, Aunt Lyn couldn't deny the fact that she had never seen Ayla more happy than with him.
"The only father I've ever known has been Master Jorin," she said quietly.
"The king's Master of War?"
She nodded.
"He and the moon temple guardians trained you your entire life," Reo said. "Dodge wasn't the one who trained me how to fight, but he was always there for me when my brother and sister couldn't be."
"Do you have any other family aside from your brother and sister?" Maeyune asked.
He leaned back onto one hand as his eyes wandered to the sky in thought. "A few cousins, maybe, one or two times removed. Whatever that means."
"Do you ever spend time with them?"
"My cousins, no," he said, shaking his head. "The only time they ever want to see me is to prove to their friends they're related to Yunra's incarnation."
He snorted a chuckle before continuing. "But my brother and sister usually visit me at the base a few times a month when they can. Leron's more a 'do your part, little brother,' whereas Adeline tries keeping me sane."
Maeyune smiled at the image that formed in her head. She had liked meeting the two elder Castells. She wondered what it would have been like for her to have a sister or brother. "Your sister, Lady Adeline, is a water celestial."
"Yes, it happened right after I-" He stopped, cleared his throat. "-right after she went blind. The damage was already permanent by the time she knew how to use her powers. After I...accidentally killed our father, I was kept away for a year before I could see Leron and Adeline again."
Maeyune felt a pang of sorrow for him. "Your brother and sister do not blame you for any of it."
He was about to refute, but he paused, gave her a long stare, and said, "Right. Telepath."
"They love you very much, Reo."
His eyes fell to the fire, and his smile faded only a bit. "I know."
Watching him retreat into his own thoughts, she didn't inquire anymore into his past. The last of their conversation carried off into the early morning, and the sound of their voices drifted away like phantom hums. They let silence descend as they submitted themselves to their own history.
Maeyune recalled the wishful dream that the Overlord had trapped them inside. In that dream, she and Deiyu had married, and all of her friends had been alive and well. Then, her mother had appeared--not as a part of the illusion, but as a disruption.
Ayla Ereni had not been the Overlord's creation. She had appeared of her own will, to guide Maeyune out of the entrapment.
Or had it been Shivra's doing? Had the Moon God used a vision of her mother to force Maeyune awake?
Whether or not Ayla had been a figment of imagination, she had felt real.
Maeyune wanted that moment in time again, to see her mother again, to ask her about her father. Aunt Lyn had never learned his family name, and upon further investigation, Maeyune had found that there had been a dozen other Ruyin's who had served and died. Much of their information had been destroyed during the war. The only memory she had of him was through her aunt's eyes: of him and Ayla walking arm in arm, an image of peace and joy.
That was love, Maeyune thought as her mind took on a new course.
Love was something her younger self had heard other girls giggle about in their fairytales of princes. But their minds had been young, and hers had not.
Maeyune liked to think she understood the many levels of love. She felt it in her friends, with her aunt, with her people, and she had felt it with Deiyu. She had seen it in another woman, in another man, in a child, in the strong and the weak, in the rich and the poor.
Yes, she liked to think she knew what love was. And yet, why did it feel as if she truly didn't know?
A hand entered the periphery of her vision. It was holding a portion of cooked turkey, and the sight of it pulled her back into the present.
"Not quite a gourmet breakfast fit for a queen," Reo said with an apologetic smile. "But breakfast, nonetheless."
He had an ease about him as he waited for her to take the food. His posture was relaxed, and Maeyune felt cordiality and goodwill emanating from him. Her gaze fell to his extended hand, and she couldn't help but wonder if the gesture was meant as a peace-offering.
They still hadn't mentioned their argument from earlier that night; she wasn't sure if she'd ever be prepared to talk about it. But there was nothing else to say to him. If anything, they had learned much more about each other. She was rather appreciative that he had been honest with her.
The look on his face seemed to reflect what she was thinking. Regardless of their differences, they had to work together in order to survive. She needed powers, and he needed someone to watch his back.
Without hesitation, she took the meat from his hand, accepting the meal—accepting the truce—and gave him a warm smile of thanks.
Then, there it was—a fleeting moment of complete stillness on his face. She had seen that look before. It was that same look he had given her right before she had leaned in and kissed him.
Her heart leaped, and confused, she sputtered, "Thank you."
He nodded, and gone was that look he had given her. "Enjoy, moon warrior."
He plopped down beside her, crossed his legs, and dug into his portion of wild turkey.
It only took a few minutes of silence for them to consume their tasteless meal. When they finished, Reo slid toward the campfire and held his hand over the flames. With raised brows, Maeyune watched as the fire swayed underneath his palm. Like a gentle twister, the fire whirled around his fingers before dispersing into the air and returning to his body.
Ever since Maeyune had stopped the conflagration that had burned down Eno's sun temple, she had planned on teaching Reo how to turn an element back into energy. But to her astonishment, he had taught himself.
"You have been practicing," she said, although it was more a question mixed with her awe.
"A little," he admitted with some embarrassment. "Still needs work."
"No, that's wonderful progress."
Unconsciously, she looked at her own hands—and stared at their ordinary existence. The small joy she had felt for him began to dissipate.
She was a god incarnate rendered powerless.
It was not envy that she held toward the sun warrior. She didn't even feel anger or the need for vengeance. Out of exhaustion, she felt something else entirely.
Emptiness.
Her chest was hollow.
Shoulders drooping, she only hoped Reo would never have to feel the same emptiness that she did.
"Treasure what you have, Reo," she spoke, grief squeezing her throat, "before it's gone."